Dread Nemesis of Mine (29 page)

I remembered the stuff. Underborn had used
it after Brad Nichols and his infected group of vampires had tried
to kill me at my school. "Is there any other way to prevent the
spread of infection?" I asked.

"Fire works, to a degree." Michael shrugged.
"But quicksilver is far more effective."

A great idea occurred to me. "What if we
injected Felicia with it? Would it cure the virus?"

He raised an eyebrow. "It'd kill her. Back
in the day, before we used non-lethal methods, Templars used to dip
their arrows in quicksilver to take out vamplings and vampires
alike." Michael grunted. "Dhampyrs have some protection thanks to
their human side, but it wouldn't be pretty."

A Custodian administered a shimmering squirt
of quicksilver on a puddle of blood. The mercurial substance
flashed through the dark liquid, following the streams and tendrils
wherever it had leaked, leaving behind bright crimson.

I looked at the sticky red mess on my hands
and clothes. "What about the blood on us?"

Elyssa motioned to a nearby Custodian and
took a small spray bottle from him. "Hold out your hands. This is a
diluted potion, but it'll still sting."

She sprayed a tiny amount into each of my
palms. Silvery lightning burned its way across my skin, jumping the
patches clean of blood, reaching every little splotch. Clenching my
teeth, I watched it devour the dark infection along my arms,
leaving behind red, irritated skin and clean blood. Hands balled
into fists, I endured the brief pain as it seared across my face
and neck.

"Wow, that hurt."

Elyssa gave me a sympathetic look. "You look
like death incarnate."

"I feel like poop."

Each of the others used the potion to clean
their skin. Michael, stoic as usual, didn't so much as flinch as
the diluted solution disinfected his few patches of exposed skin
and his uniform.

Meghan motioned to Adam. "I used a sleeping
beauty spell on Felicia. It will slow the infection, but not stop
it."

The tall Arcane knelt and picked up his
sister, cradling her limp form to his chest.

"Let's move out," Fausta said after giving
the Custodians a heads-up about the mess I'd left downstairs. She
gave Felicia's limp form a concerned look and put a hand on Adam's
arm. "You realize, if she turns vampling, we'll have to put her
down, right?"

"I know," Adam said, voice rough. "So kindly
shut up and get the hell out of my way."

Fausta raised her hands and stepped aside.
"Put her someplace secure. I won't risk her infecting anyone
else."

After negotiating bodies, blood, and a small
army of Custodians as they cleaned up the aftermath of the
bloodbath, we emerged outside into the breaking dawn. We were taken
into private tents, provided fresh clothes, and given one more
burning spray of quicksilver to be sure before they cleared us to
leave.

Fausta came out of a tent near mine. She
offered me one of her rare smiles and handed me a key. "Christian
promoted me to Lieutenant."

"Congrats!" I said, unsure if I should try
to hug her, or if that would lead to a swift disembowelment.

"I am the youngest female to ever hold this
rank." She sighed. "Everyone had thought Elyssa would be the first.
And then you came along."

My heart sank. "Just when I think you're not
a bitch, you go and say something like that."

Fausta shrugged. "I don't avoid the
truth."

"Yeah, but you could have some tact." I held
up the key. "So why did you give me this?"

"It goes to my new quarters—a private cabin
at the compound. But I can wait before moving in." She laid a hand
on my shoulder. "There's more to you than meets the eye. When I
first met you, I thought you were soft and weak, not to mention an
untrustworthy demon spawn."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you just
say all that with flowers?"

Her hand dropped and she gave me a genuine
smile. Her resemblance to Elyssa was uncanny, despite her larger
nose. "Enjoy the cabin. Just wash the sheets before you leave."

I groaned. "Don't take this the wrong way,
Fausta, but you have beauty lurking behind your bitch shield. Maybe
even deep down, you have a good heart." I leaned close and
whispered, "But don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

A laugh burst from her mouth. She clamped
both hands over her face, trapping her mirth, and regaining her
composure. "I would appreciate it if you kept that a secret." She
walked away.

Elyssa emerged from her tent a moment later
and smiled. We climbed inside a slider. I showed her the key and
grinned. "I scored us a private cabin."

She leaned her head against my shoulder,
closed her eyes, and sighed. "I love you."

I squeezed her tight against me and tried to
pretend everything was all right. Worry tangled my nerves. My calf
throbbed where the vampling had bitten it. I was infected. Meghan
had as much told me my blood was no defense or cure for the virus,
and since I was half-human, it would ravage me every bit as much as
it had Felicia.

Guilt pressed against my chest. I should
have told the others. But I hadn't. I couldn't. There was only one
person I could trust with this for now. And what would I tell her?
How could I explain to the love of my life that unless I could find
Nightliss and she could cure me, our future together would be cut
short? If Nightliss couldn't cleanse the infection, I had at least
one more duty to fulfill.

I would kill Maximus.

The truth hurts. Especially when you have to
tell someone you love your future as a member of the walking dead
is only days or hours away. But I wouldn't let pain prevent me from
telling the woman I loved. After all we'd been through, I owed her
that.

Elyssa's eyes widened as though I'd just
stabbed her in the heart when I gave her the lowdown. "Let me see
right this instant, Justin."

I pulled up my pants leg to reveal two
blackened puncture wounds surrounded by pale flesh. I usually
healed within minutes, depending on the severity of the wound. Not
this time. A shudder ran up my back at the realization of how
deadly serious this situation was. Time was ticking. Every beat of
my heart carried infection further into my body.

Tears ran down Elyssa's cheeks as she knelt
to examine the wound. Her face tightened with anger. "Why didn't
you tell Meghan?" She stood, arms akimbo, lips trembling. "We have
to tell her this instant!"

"There's no cure," I said, reaching a hand
to caress her cheek.

She slapped my hand away. "How—how could
this happen?" Her hand wiped away the tears. "I'm not going to just
let you die. Meghan can put you to sleep like Felicia. I'll find
Nightliss myself."

"And if my fallen angel can't heal me, what
then?" I gripped her shoulders. "I'm not going into suspended
animation. If Nightliss can't heal me, I want to be awake and
fighting until the end." An inhuman growl vibrated deep in my chest
as sudden anger surged. "Maximus is mine to kill."

Elyssa's eyes widened. She backed away a
step. "Is that what you really want? To kill him? Even if it kills
you?"

I pictured Maximus's leering face leaning
over me as I lay strapped and helpless, his blood slave for
eternity. He'd kidnapped my father. Infected Felicia. Killed scores
of Templars. He was an egomaniac, born and bred for destruction by
Daelissa herself. A cancerous tumor on the Earth. He had to
die.

"Yes," I said, my voice oddly calm despite
the sea of boiling rage building in my chest. "I do."

She blanched. "I'm not saying you're wrong.
Maximus is rotten to the core. But why do you sound so
bloodthirsty? It's not like you."

Maximus laughs. He stands back from the
table and points at me as he, Dash, and the Master laugh until they
cry while I struggle with futility against the bonds. Rage. Fury.
Frustration. My emotions roil through me in a tidal wave. I will
destroy—

"Justin?"

I gasped and looked at Elyssa, the vision of
my tormentors vanishing like smoke. "I—I don't know." The anger
washed away, draining back into the dark depths from which it came.
"Maybe I'm just tired. We've been through so much crap. And the
dead—god, I don't even want to think about it."

Color returned to her cheeks. She graced me
with a wan smile and hugged me, pressing her head against my chest.
"We've all been through too much. I don't want to lose you."

"I don't want to lose me either."

She looked up at me. "We'll rest. And then
we'll talk to Meghan."

"It won't do any good."

"Please."

I sighed. "If it'll make you feel better.
But Nightliss might know a cure."

She nodded. Smiled. "Thanks."

After a long hot shower, I called Stacey.
Nightliss had been hanging with my felycan friend during her days
as a little black cat. I hoped she might know where the angel
was.

"Justin, you sound absolutely awful, love,"
Stacey said in her British drawl. "Whatever is the matter?"

"Oh, a little bit of this, a little bit of
that." I recited a five-minute summary of the past few days.

She took in a sharp breath. "Why the bloody
hell didn't you ask me and Ryland to come help? You know I do so
enjoy fisticuffs against those vile bloodsuckers."

I laughed. "I might still need your help.
Maximus escaped. We think he's back in Atlanta."

"Well then, lamb, we shall have to be sure
his return is short-lived." She sniffed. "Now, as for Nightliss,
Ryland and I will scour the area for her. I'll have my
friends—"

"Your cats?"

"Indeed. They form quite an informative
network. Ryland can ask his doggie friends for help."

"Hey now, cupcake," came a gruff voice from
the phone. "They're wolves, not dogs."

"Hey, Ryland," I said.

"Howdy," he replied, his voice growing
louder in the speaker. "I see you managed to go almost a week
before stirring up trouble again."

A smile caught my lips. "I get bored
easily."

"Ain't that the truth." He paused. "I do
have news of your little angel friend."

Breath caught in my throat. "You do?"

"Wait a bloody moment," Stacey said. "How do
you
have news?"

"Wolves are smarter than cats for one
thing," he said.

Stacey made a cute growling noise. "Someone
doesn't want cuddle time tonight."

It was time to steer the conversation back
on track. "Uh, guys, back to Nightliss. What do you know?"

Ryland cleared his throat. "A group of dark
Arcanes was killing off supernaturals in San Francisco with nasty
black magic. Rumor has it a young Arcane woman formed a coalition
of supers to fight back. They were losing the fight until a woman
matching Nightliss's description swooped in and helped them
win."

"When was this?" I asked.

"About a day ago. Heard it from a lycan
buddy of mine who was involved. He said she came outta nowhere,
like an avenging angel."

"Anything else?"

"Not that I know of, but I'll have him ask
the Arcane. Maybe she knows."

"Please do. It's literally a matter of life
or death."

"Ain't it always?"

I spoke with them a few more minutes and
ended the call after promising to contact them when I returned to
Atlanta. Because I hadn't heard a word from Shelton during all this
mess, I gave him a call next. He answered after several rings.

"Where the hell have you been?" I asked.

"Too much to explain." He sounded weary.
"The past caught up to me, and I've trying to outrun it ever since.
Should have known not to go back there, damn it."

"Crap, Shelton, why didn't you come to the
Templar compound?"

He snorted. "Once I found out about the
ambush the vamps pulled on you, I tried. It would've been a suicide
mission." He sighed. "Look, I hate to be a disappointment and all,
but I took the arch back to Atlanta. I had to pull a lot of favors
just to do that."

Disbelief went through me. "Back in Atlanta?
What's going on with you? Are you okay?"

"Too much to explain. Let's just say I
didn't have a choice."

"Wow. Okay, I guess." I shook my head,
wondering just who didn't like Shelton around these parts. Then
again, considering he'd been in league with some dark people,
including Vadaemos Slade at one point, he probably had as many
enemies as I did.

Shelton apparently took my silence for his
cue to say something. "Since you're talking on the phone, I assume
you survived the ambush."

"I think my story is as long as yours," I
said, and gave him an abbreviated account of events.

He blew out a low whistle. "And I thought I
had it bad. Geez kid, you don't go halfway."

"We have to find Nightliss, Shelton. I know
you just went through some kind of escapade yourself, but—"

"Hey, I'm on it." He chuckled. "Not a boring
moment with you around."

"Tell me about it."

"Well…" he trailed off. "I guess I'll
go."

"Glad you're okay." I remembered something.
"Oh, and Bella's been asking about you—Harry."

"Uh, how nice."

"Is there something going on I should know
about?" It took some effort not to laugh at his obvious discomfort.
I just wished I could have asked him face-to-face.

"She's cute."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Another pause. "I'm gonna go now and
hunt down an angel, okay?"

"Thanks."

"No problemo." He ended the call.

Elyssa emerged from the shower, a towel
wrapped around her body. Leaning her head to the side as she dried
her hair with another towel, she said, "Any luck?"

I nodded and relayed what I'd found out.

"Well, it's a start." She pressed her hands
to my face and kissed me. "I'm so tired. It's always one thing
after another."